Awesome Reader and Writer

Digital ARW: Family Trees ·

Family Trees
Have you ever been asked to draw your family tree
at school? Many of you will probably be nodding, but
here is my question: Have you thought about doing
some digging and getting to the very roots of your
family on your own?
Well, I have. I have spent a lot of time on the
Internet researching the origins of my family.
Today, I will talk about family history, or genealogy.

Many people are curious about where

their family comes from. In the past, it
was difficult to find out about your
ancestors, or the people from whom
someone is descended. These days,
doing some research can help reveal a
lot, and now it is much simpler because
it is easy to access official records.
The first step to drawing any family
tree should be talking to members of
your family, especially the older ones.
Ask them about names, dates of birth
and death, and the place where people
lived. This is important because when
you go looking in official records, you
will need some data to start with.
Finding census information can really
help you. A census is the official count of the population, or the
people that live in a country. The 1930 census in Mexico was
very important because it was the first time more that 90
percent of the population was interviewed. If you find a match
with that census, you can begin to locate your ancestors. Then,
maybe you can start and build your family tree.
Civil registry records can also help you. In 1859, the Mexican
government began to collect data on the population. There are
different registers: one for births, another for marriages, and
finally one for deaths. These registers can be an essential tool
for finding out about the lives of your ancestors.
And now church records! If a person wants to know about their
family before the 1800s, maybe they should look at church
records. Church records began around 500 years ago when the
Spanish arrived. Since then, most Mexicans have been Catholic
and have had to register their important life events at the
church. This makes them a valuable source of information, as
the records show similar information to civil records. Church
records can also include extra interesting details. Some can
even show comments priests made about a family before
marriage ceremonies! Their descriptions can be long and contain
important information on the founders of the family.
If you have tried the options mentioned and without any luck,
try searching in cemetery and notarial records. In notarial
records, you can find information about wills and mortgages.
Divorce was legalized in Mexico in 1917, so if you need date
after that year, you might be able to find something useful!
If you are doing similar research to me, I would love to know
about what you have found out so far.
Please, comment on my blog, and maybe we can help each other
with new sources of information.